Dhaka: Over Taka 7.73 crore has been distributed among 1,441 sick and insolvent journalists and their family members in the last 10 months after the interim government took office.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the Bangladesh Journalists Welfare Trust distributed Taka 2.36 crore as welfare grants to 350 journalists and their families across the country, including Dhaka, on October 30 last year. On January 30 this year, 305 journalists and their children received one-time scholarships totaling Taka 55.26 lakh. This included 120 students at the secondary level who received Taka 14.40 lakh, 70 students at the higher secondary and diploma levels who were given Taka 12.60 lakh, 104 students at the undergraduate (honors) and Fazil levels who got Taka 24.96 lakh, and 11 students at the engineering and medical levels who received Taka 3.30 lakh.
On the same day, 127 journalists and the families of deceased journalists were provided with Taka 89 lakh as grants. Additionally, Taka two lakh each was distributed to the families of five journalists martyred in the July Uprising, while Taka one lakh each was given to 26 injured journalists.
Furthermore, on March 22 this year, the Journalists Welfare Trust distributed cheques worth Taka 1.94 crore and 90 thousand to 374 journalists and their families. This included 11 families of deceased journalists and 192 journalists suffering from various diseases. On June 3, the trust distributed welfare grants worth Taka 1.63 crore and 50,000 to 254 families of sick and indigent journalists, among which 14 families were of deceased journalists.
Any sick or insolvent journalist and the family members of a deceased journalist can apply to the Bangladesh Journalists Welfare Trust at any time in the prescribed form for welfare grants.